Chapter 323

Chapter 323

"You... you're making this up! Alexander, don't believe her!" Sophie was truly panicking now as she watched Alexander's usually calm expression fill with a complex storm of emotions.

Shock, confusion, guilt, unease, and countless negative emotions intertwined in his eyes.

And finally, what settled in those blue depths was something far more dangerous—murderous rage.

"Alexander, calm down." Sophie was desperate, instinctively trying to reason with him.

When she met the cold fury in his eyes, a chill ran through her. She panicked completely, turning to flee.

But before she could take a single step, his hand shot out like an iron vise, gripping her throat.

"You lied to her, claiming you were pregnant with my child?" His voice was deathly cold, like a demon from hell, and his grip tightened as if he might strangle her at any moment.

Emily froze at the sight.

She hadn't expected Alexander to react so violently. It wasn't until the restaurant staff rushed over, shouting to intervene that she snapped out of her shock.

"Enough!" Emily stepped forward and grabbed his wrist. Her grip wasn't strong, but her words fell like ice water over his rage.

"Sophie has problems, but aren't you just as guilty? If you had treated me even slightly better back then, I wouldn't have been so easily deceived. Blame her, but you should blame yourself more."

The fury in his eyes suddenly gave way to profound sorrow.

That grief was something Emily had never seen in him before.

For a second, she almost softened.

But then she remembered how he had protected Sophie while she suffered through her illness, and that moment of weakness evaporated, hardening into cold mockery.

"Alexander, are you regretting it now? But it's too late. She may have been the murderer, but you were the one who supported her."

Her cool tone paired with the contempt in her eyes cut Alexander to his core for the first time.

He raised his hand as if to touch her face, but couldn't bring himself to make contact.

After a long moment, Alexander's hoarse voice broke the silence. "It was me. I'm the one who hurt you."

"So, I want revenge. Are you going to stop me?" She laughed bitterly, her gaze piercing him with bone-chilling coldness.

"I'll help you."

Those simple words effectively pronounced Sophie's death sentence in that moment.

"Alexander, you can't do this to me." She struggled to her feet, reaching for his arm, only to be pushed away in disgust.

Sophie stumbled backward, steadying herself against a chair. "You promised you'd always protect me! How can you turn against me?"

Her desperate, sorrowful tone filled the air.

"I love you," she pointed accusingly at Emily, emotion spilling out. "She's nothing but an orphan who can't offer you any advantage, who's only brought you trouble. You married her under duress—you two were never meant to be together. Have you forgotten all that?"

Alexander stared at Sophie, his eyes devoid of any compassion, filled instead with a hatred that suggested he wanted to destroy her completely. "You should be grateful that murder is illegal."

Otherwise, she would already be dead.

"No, it shouldn't be like this. I took a knife for you back then. You said you'd never forget what I did for you."

"So I'm giving you one last chance to apologize to Emily."

Sophie's brow furrowed in confusion, clearly not understanding what "one last chance" meant.

He didn't explain, simply pulling Emily away with a face dark as thunder. She didn't resist.

In the car, Emily lowered her eyes, conflicting emotions flickering across her face.

She truly hadn't expected Alexander to react so strongly.

A child... did it really mean that much to him?

She had assumed Alexander would only view a child as an heir, raising them at a distance with little emotional involvement.

"I'm sorry." His hoarse voice broke the silence, interrupting her thoughts.

"I know that nothing I say now will make any difference."

"You've suffered too much, but I'm sincerely asking for a chance to make amends."

The grief on his face and his uncharacteristic humility were completely new, yet they brought Emily no satisfaction.

"Alexander, would you answer a few questions honestly?" Emily spoke up.

"Go ahead."

Both their voices carried various emotions, yet they struggled to maintain composure.

"If you had known I was pregnant back then, would you still have gotten engaged to her?"

A self-deprecating laugh escaped him as Alexander rubbed his brow, suddenly looking years older. "I know you won't believe me, but the only reason I proposed to her was to force you to back down. You had changed so much during that time—not only ignoring me but demanding a divorce."

He had lost all rationality then.

With Sophie constantly telling him that Emily had betrayed him for Daniel, he seemed to lose his basic judgment, wanting only to use the most extreme method to bring her back to him.

In the end, his foolishness had driven her further away.

"So I personally destroyed our last chance at reconciliation?" Her voice was so soft it was barely audible, with some unidentifiable emotion mixed in.

But Alexander couldn't detect it now.

"No, I forced you to give up. Though that wasn't my intention, it was my mistake."

"Emily," he turned to look at her in the passenger seat, his eyes pleading, "will you give me one more chance to make things right?"

"Alexander, I begged you many times too."

But he had never turned back.

Each time, he had left her for Sophie.

Each time, he had assumed Emily would wait for him.

Instead, he had pushed her further away, personally removing himself from her heart until he went from being her most important person to someone who didn't matter at all.

"This time..." Alexander wanted to say something more.

Emily interrupted. "I've waited too many times. I don't want to wait anymore. Alexander, if you truly feel you've wronged me, then let me go."

His lips moved slightly, as if wanting to say something but not knowing where to begin.

Silence spread between them, everything growing still.

Just when Emily thought he wouldn't speak, he finally uttered. "Alright."

He agreed?

For several seconds, she thought she was hearing things.

Meeting her surprised gaze, the corner of his mouth curled into a bitter smile, and those usually calculating eyes filled with deep despair.

"I can let you go, but I hope you won't avoid me. Let me make sure you're doing well."

With his protection, many things would be easier.

Once Sophie had enjoyed the benefits of being "his wife," and now Emily would have her rightful privileges—what could be more fair?

Without much hesitation, she nodded in agreement. "I'll go back and take..."

"I'll move out," Alexander interrupted. "I only let Sophie stay there because she took a knife for me. When I discovered she'd touched things in the master bedroom, I made her leave. As for the guest room she slept in—if you don't like it, you can have everything destroyed."